


What Makes a Hero, or the Trials of Iris West

by Jade4813



Category: The Flash (TV 2014)
Genre: F/M, Labors of Hercules
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-01-02
Updated: 2018-01-07
Packaged: 2019-02-26 15:16:11
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 4,662
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13238454
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Jade4813/pseuds/Jade4813
Summary: Barry Allen is on trial for his life. His wife, Iris West-Allen, must take on the trials of Hercules to help save him.





	1. The Nemean Lion

**Author's Note:**

> Several years ago, I wrote a somewhat fluffy Clois fanfiction around the idea of the Trials of Hercules. For the past couple of years, I’ve thought it would be a pretty good inspiration for a Westallen fic, but the right story never seemed to crystallize. Then, over Christmas, I got to thinking about the Trial of Barry Allen coming up, specifically thinking about what Iris’s role will and should be. This story idea came to mind again, and I wasn’t able to shake it…so I’m giving in and writing it! 
> 
> I haven’t forgotten about Princess and the Pirate, I promise! I just want to get this finished before the show picks up again and derails things. So, barring catastrophe, this should all be finished and posted before the show returns from hiatus.

The wind rattled the front windows of the coffee shop, snow blowing through the door with each person who ran in to take shelter from the cold, but Iris barely noticed. She’d been sitting in this same seat for hours, staring morosely into the bottom of her mug at each emptying, as though she could find the wisdom of the ages in its dregs.

Lost in her thoughts, she gave her newest cupful an idle stir, the bright, tinkling sound of spoon hitting china a direct counterpoint to her mood. It was a shame she had found neither comfort nor prophecy in her endless consumption of caffeine. She had never needed either more.

“Mind if I share your table?” the cheerful voice broke into her thoughts, and Iris blinked up at the speaker. Her eyes didn’t have to travel far to reach her face; the stranger was only about as tall as Iris herself. The similarities didn’t end there. The stranger’s skin was only a shade or two lighter than Iris’s own, and she had the kind of warm, welcoming smile that Iris usually saw in the mirror. Well, she saw it in the mirror when her husband of mere weeks hadn’t been framed on murder charges, at least.

Shaking away the thought, Iris forced a tight smile and sat back in her chair. “Of course,” she murmured. Though she wasn’t terribly eager for company, she had been monopolizing the table for long enough, and Jitters had become a popular refuge from the frigid winter weather.

“Thanks,” the woman said as she scooted into her chair, putting a plate with two sandwiches and a handful of cookies between them. “I think my eyes were bigger than my stomach. There’s no way I can eat all this. You want some?”

“Oh, no, I couldn’t,” she protested, even as her stomach gave a loud rumble. In all her trips to the counter for refills, it had never occurred to her that she should attempt to eat some actual food.

The stranger pushed the plate a little closer to her. “Please. I insist. It’s the least I can do, since you let me sit with you. And, really, you’d be doing me a favor. I don’t even want to think about how many crunches I’d need to do if I tackled all this by myself.” Iris’s dubious expression was met with an unabashed grin. “Plus, I hate eating alone.”

Though she shook her head at the preposterousness of the situation, Iris murmured a thank you as she grabbed one of the sandwiches and took a big bite. Jitters’ sausage, egg, and cheese biscuit had always been one of her favorites. As she chewed, it occurred to her that she should probably attempt some small talk – it would be rude of her to return the stranger’s generosity with stony silence. But while conversation normally came so easily to her (thankfully so, given both her education and profession), she just wasn’t up to it today. Too much was on her mind.

Luckily, her companion didn’t seem to be put off by her taciturn mood. After giving Iris time to finish a few more bites, she mused, “I know this is going to sound crazy, but I swear, you look so familiar. Have we met?” Iris opened her mouth to respond in the negative when the younger woman cried, “I know! Iris West, right? I worked your wedding! I’m a caterer. Well, a waitress. Okay, I’m neither really. I just sometimes pick up shifts for some extra money, so, um…You probably don’t remember me. But I talked to your husband? Barry? Right before the ceremony started. It was a beautiful wedding, by the way. I mean, it was until…oh, god, you probably don’t want to talk about that. And now I’m rambling. I should definitely stop now.”

A little shell-shocked by the flood of chatter that had just washed over her, Iris blinked and shook her head slightly. She didn’t even begin to know how to respond. “Uh…wow. That’s…you have a good memory.”

“Well, you guys make such an adorable couple, you’re hard to forget. So if you don’t mind my asking, why are you sitting all alone, looking so sad?”

She knew she should tell the stranger to mind her own business, but there was just something so…familiar about her. Of course, Iris was reasonably certain that the two had never met before, but there was just something about her companion. It was like she’d known her for years. Like she could tell her anything.

It didn’t make any sense. In fact, it was absolutely insane. Then again, nothing about Iris’s life had made a great deal of sense ever since that lightning bolt so many years before, and Iris had long since learned to roll with the punches. Instead of telling her companion off or making up a lie to deflect the conversation, Iris told her the truth. “I’m sad because…well…my husband has been framed for a murder he didn’t commit, and I don’t know how to help him.”

She had expected the younger girl to look shocked. Even appalled. She had almost been bracing herself for her companion to abruptly decide to move to another table. Instead, she took it in stride – as though Iris had said Barry was at the barber’s rather than under arrest – and threw her a sympathetic look. “Oh, man. That sucks. You know, my mom went through something like once. Not long before I was born. My dad was accused of murder and she had to help prove he was innocent.”

Iris’s astonishment more than made up for her companion’s previous lack of surprise. The reporter in her was skeptical about the coincidence and wanted to dig for answers, but her desire to prove Barry’s innocence drowned it out. “Your…she did? Really? What…did she tell you how she handled it?”

Her companion nodded, a thoughtful expression on her face. “Oh, yeah, she and dad used to tell my brother and me about it all the time. Well, not all the time, I guess. They had a lot of crazy stories, you wouldn’t believe… Anyway, she used to tell me that the most important thing was that she never gave up. She didn’t give up fighting, she didn’t give up on believing in him, and he never lost his faith in her. She and my dad always say that the two of them together can do anything, and I absolutely believe it.

“So she’d tell me she never gave up, then she’d laugh and say that she had to tackle the labors of Hercules before she could get my dad out of jail. And I think if you’re willing to do the same, you can help Barry like my mom helped my dad.”

Iris frowned and shook her head again. It was getting to be something of a habit in this odd girl’s company. “The…labors of Hercules?” she repeated slowly in a dubious voice. Was it possible that her companion was actually a little out of her mind? “Like…the hydra and Cerberus and all that? How exactly…I mean…ah…did your mom have any…um…suggestions as to how one does…that sort of thing?”

The girl began to shake her head, then paused and offered a sheepish smile and a small shrug. “I mean, she told me how she did it, of course, but I don’t think she’d appreciate me sharing that information. I can tell you to fight, but I can’t really tell you how. Well…maybe I can tell you this one, but the rest are up to you.

“My mom always said that the hardest part was keeping calm and not letting her emotions get the better of her. She was sad and stunned, of course, when he was arrested. Then she got so angry, it was like the arrest had awoken a lion inside her somewhere. She always said that the hardest battle she fought was the one against herself. She just wanted to go on the attack and confront the people responsible, but she knew she couldn’t.” Leaning forward, the stranger held Iris’s gaze as she lowered her voice to an urgent undertone. “You’re going to be tried every bit as much as he is, but the most important thing to remember is that you can’t let your fear and anger get the better of you. They are expecting you to do something rash, and the moment you do, they’ll use it against you. And against him.”

When the other girl sat back with a self-satisfied smile she tried to hide with a long sip of coffee, Iris remarked in a rather bewildered voice, “This is…by far…the strangest conversation I’ve ever had. Who are you?”

The girl shrugged and stood, throwing her a grin as she buttoned up her coat. “Who, me? I’m just a waitress from your wedding. Enjoy the rest of the cookies!” Then, with a small wave, she turned and darted out the door.

It didn’t even occur to Iris until she was gone that she’d never gotten the girl’s name.


	2. Geryon’s Cattle

“Iris, I can’t talk to you about the case,” Captain David Singh barked before she even managed to close the office door behind her.

She ignored him, striding purposefully to the chair across his desk and taking a seat. “He didn’t do this.”

He grunted. “So Cecile keeps telling me.” His voice softening slightly, he cautioned her, “She’s his attorney; you should really leave any communications with this department up to her.”

Iris threw him a level look. “But you’re not just a police captain,” she pointed out in a low voice. “You’re also a friend.”

He sighed and shook his head. “I’m sorry. I wish I could help. But as your friend, I’m telling you that you should leave it to Cecile to communicate with my office.” Iris’s heart sank; she understood what he was trying to tell her. He couldn’t put his friendship with Barry or with her above his duty as police captain. On a certain level, Iris understood his position, but that didn’t mean she had to be happy about it.

Losing hold of her temper, she yelled, “For god’s sake, David, Barry is your friend! You were at our wedding! You know him! You know he couldn’t do this!”

He straightened, looking gravely across the desk at her. “What I know is that evidence is pointing to one of the people in my department – one of my officers – having committed a cold-blooded murder. I know that the victim had felt so threatened by this officer that he’d put out a restraining order against him mere weeks before his death. And that the only action taken against the officer prior to what may have been an entirely foreseeable murder was to put him on a leave of absence. 

“I’ve been getting daily calls from the Deputy Mayor’s office, wanting reassurances that we can handle this investigation. His office has been getting hundreds of calls from citizens outraged that we didn’t take harsher action against Barry sooner and worried about a police cover up now. The Deputy Mayor has threatened to bring in outside investigators to take over. Do you know what that means?” He stared at Iris until she gave a begrudging nod. She knew well enough. If outside investigators were brought in, Barry would likely be thrown under a bus to get the investigation closed. His guilt or innocence would take a back seat to the Deputy Mayor’s desire for image control and “tough on crime” rhetoric.

Sitting back in his chair, Singh said, his voice filled with regret, “I’m sorry, Iris. I don’t want to believe that Barry would be capable of this, and we will look into any exculpatory evidence we find. But you and I both know that Barry had become obsessed with DeVoe prior to his death. Harassment, breaking and entering…his behavior was way out of line. His fingerprints were on the murder weapon. If this were any other suspect in any other case, then you would agree that he belongs right where he is. Behind bars.”

“But he isn’t a suspect in any other case,” she whispered. “He’s my husband, and he didn’t do this.”

Singh threw her an apologetic look, but he could provide her no comfort. “I really am sorry.”

Iris wanted to scream. To throw things. She was tempted to march back home, retrieve the wedding gift Singh had sent the two of them, and hurl it as his head. But she reminded herself of the warning she’d received by the girl in the coffee shop and took a deep breath instead. Knowing that the battle was lost – at least for the moment – Iris stood and slung her bag over her shoulder. “Barry wasn’t wrong about DeVoe, you know. You of all people know that people in this city aren’t always what they appear to be. And I’m going to prove his innocence, with or without your help.” 

As she stalked to the door, Singh cautioned her, “Just be careful how you do it, Iris. If you go after him the same way Barry did, you and your husband will end up in neighboring cells.” Though she bit back a scathing retort, she gave in to the impulse to slam his office door on her way out.

Iris felt all eyes on her as she made her way through the squad room to the exit, and she tried not to let it get to her. It was time to get back to S.T.A.R. Labs to plan her next move.

* * *

Iris paused before walking through the door. Leaning against the wall, she tilted her head back and took a few deep breaths, trying to brace herself for what was to come.

Since Barry’s arrest, the only people whose support she had found she could depend upon was the other people inside these doors. Her dad. Wally. Cisco. Caitlin. Harry. They seemed to be the only other people in the world who believed in Barry’s innocence, and so this lab had become something of a refuge to her.

As grateful as she was for their support, it was not without its challenges. They still looked to her to be leader, relying on her to make the tough calls and to direct the next step of their defense. It was hard, sometimes, to push her own heartache aside and focus on the task at hand. It was hard to be the one other people looked to in those moments when she wanted to curl up into a little ball and cry. 

But worse than the moments when they looked to her for answers were the moments when they looked at her with pity. Everyone in that room knew what she had lost. They had lost a friend. She’d lost her husband. Her best friend. The love of her life. Her center. And she was terrified she wouldn’t find a way to get him back.

“Falling apart won’t help, West,” she reminded herself in a whisper. Barry would be strong for her. She would be strong for him. With that in mind, she lifted her weight off the wall and squared her shoulders. She couldn’t quite manage a smile, but perhaps a look of determination would do. When she was pretty sure she could keep it together, she threw open the door and strode inside.

A quick glance around gave her the current score: three looked expectant, and two looked at her as though they thought she might be about to fall apart. At least the numbers skewed in her favor instead of in the other direction. Before anyone could ask, she declared, “Well, that went about as well as we expected. It was worth a shot, at least.”

“Have you had a chance to talk to Barry?” Cisco asked just as Caitlin asked, “Where do we go from here?” 

Unable to sit still, she began to pace. “He’s meeting with Cecile this morning, so they told me to try again this afternoon,” she said, responding first to Cisco. In all honesty, she didn’t have the first idea what to tell Caitlin, though she knew she couldn’t admit to as much. She didn’t want to risk demoralizing the team, not when they needed hope more than ever.

“So where do we go from here?” Caitlin asked again. Iris should have known she wouldn’t let it go.

She stalled for time. “Well, one thing that did come out of my meeting with Singh is that there’s a lot of public pressure to convict Barry. We’re going to have to look at this differently. It’s not going to be enough to prove he’s not guilty; we’ll have to prove that he’s actually innocent. Otherwise, this will never stop following him.” And those looks and doubts – the ones that had followed him throughout his childhood – if they followed him as an adult, too…Iris was worried what that would do to him.

“I’m not surprised. Marlize gave another press conference today. She’s doing everything she can to get the public on her side,” Joe interjected.

“Then we’re going to have to go on the attack,” Wally said.

Caitlin shook her head. “And make it seem like the murderer’s family is attacking his victim’s grieving widow? That’s not going to get a lot more people on our side.”

“Caitlin is right,” Iris interjected, cutting off the debate. “We’re fighting in the court of public opinion every bit as much as in the court of law. Going after Marlize right now is only going to play into her hands.”

“Any chance CCPN will rethink their decision about your stories?” Cisco asked. Iris shook her head. The day after the arrest, she’d asked her editor to allow her to write an article about Barry’s innocence, but he’d shot her down. He would gladly take her side of the story and put it in an editorial, but he didn’t want the paper to appear so biased. If any articles were going to be written about the crime, Iris wouldn’t be the one writing them. At any rate, Cecile had cautioned her on speaking to the press, since any misconstrued statement could be detrimental to Barry’s defense.

“Not a chance.” Pursing her lips, she added, “But, you know, maybe we can find someone else.” Spinning, she made up her mind and looked at each of them in turn. “Okay, next steps. Wally, you know what you have to do. Barry may be out of commission, but this city still needs the Flash.”

“I’m on it. But you know, if you need me to do some digging into DeVoe, I could use my speed…”

She shook her head. That’s what got Barry in so much trouble, and she wasn’t willing to throw Wally under that same bus. “Not yet.” Then, because she didn’t want him to think she was just shooting him down, she explained gently, “That will probably be necessary at some point, but DeVoe’s been one step ahead of us this whole time. If you go in there now, he’s going to be expecting it. We may have only one shot at finding anything on him, so we’re going to have to choose our timing carefully. I know you’re willing to take the risk, but I want to make damn sure you’re going to find something to nail him with when you do.”

Though he didn’t look entirely happy about it, Wally accepted her reasoning with a nod, and Iris moved on. “Dad, I know you’re not allowed anywhere near the case, but we still don’t have any idea what DeVoe’s endgame is. Can you head back to the precinct and keep looking into any strange cases from the last six months? Creating new metahumans and framing Barry for murder have to be the first steps in some grand plan, and we still don’t know what he’s after.”

As Joe and Wally walked out, she turned to Cisco and Caitlin. “And I know it’s not exciting, but the three of us are on research. I’m going to take care of the newspaper issue, but I need you guys to keep digging. There’s no way DeVoe is actually dead, but I have been assured – many times – that there is a very dead body in the city morgue. Caitlin, I need you to reach out to see if you can get a look at it. He’s got to be a shapeshifter, a clone…something. See what you can do?”

“There are some people I can call,” she agreed.

“And Cisco. There are a couple things I need from you, First, I need you to look into everything Marlize has said to the media. If we’re going to fight the sway of public opinion, we have to know what we’re up against.”

“Sure. What else do you need?”

She hesitated, a little reluctant. Finally, she replied, “I know…I know you haven’t been able to vibe DeVoe on our Earth, but…I’m wondering if there’s another one of him on another Earth that you could vibe into. They might not be the same person, but…at this point, anything you could find out about him has to help.”

He grimaced. “Yeah, I understand. I make no promises that I’ll be able to find anything, but I’ll give it a shot.”

“Thanks,” she said with a smile. As they left, she turned to the phone with a sigh. It was her turn to see if there was anything she could do about the press coverage.

* * *

“I was wondering if I’d hear from you. How are you doing?” Iris smiled at the familiar voice on the other end of the line, missing Linda more than ever.

“I take it you’ve heard.”

“You know how it is in the news business. I may not be in Central City at the moment, but it’s still home. I follow what’s happening there as much as possible.” Her voice was filled with gentle concern as she asked, “How are you holding up?”

Iris sucked in a shaky breath. “As well as can be expected, I guess. He didn’t do this, you know.”

She could almost hear Linda’s smile. “Of course I know that. I know you both. He’d never do what he’s accused of doing, and if he did, you have too strong a sense of justice to defend him like you are. You know you can count on me for whatever you need. I would have called you to tell you that sooner, but I figured you had your hands full. I didn’t want to intrude. But you should know if there’s anything I can do for you…anything at all…all you need to do is ask.”

For the first time since Barry’s arrest, Iris allowed herself a genuine smile. “Thank you. Really. Ever since it happened, people have…well…You’re an amazing friend, Linda. You know that?”

The other woman laughed and joked to lighten the mood, “I’m an amazing everything, girl. I’m thinking of putting it on my business cards. So what can I do to help?”

She quickly described the situation. Because she knew that phones could easily be tapped, she avoided any reference to her husband’s superpowers, but she knew Linda would connect the dots. “So what I’m thinking I need is a reporter who’s willing to keep an open mind. Someone who knows things aren’t always what they seem, particularly in Central City, and will actually look into DeVoe. Naturally I thought of you. Will you do it?”

Linda was silent for a moment, then she gave a soft, thoughtful hum. When she finally spoke, her words were slow and measured. “Iris, I’m more than happy to dig into things for you, but I don’t know that I’m the best person for this job. Barry and I have history. Very, very brief history, since he was hopelessly in love with you the whole time we dated and I never really stood a chance. But we still have history.

“If I look into things, I could find a smoking gun in DeVoe’s hand and it wouldn’t matter. People would discredit me because of my history with both of you. Something like this…not to be cynical, but getting public opinion on your side is like herding cattle. It’s a sensational story, and most people have probably already made up their minds that Barry is guilty. You can get them on your side, but they’re going to be looking to latch onto anything that supports their preconceived notion. If they find out the reporter who’s investigating the victim once dated the suspect, I won’t only be discredited but it may backfire on you.”

Iris sighed, rubbing the spot between her eyes. “I understand, but none of the other reporters I know seem to be willing to give him the benefit of the doubt, and of course nobody would listen to me.” Her friend’s next words made her sit up in excitement, though.

“Hm…Well, I might know someone who could help. I know her mostly by reputation, but…she’s good. Really good. And investigative reporting is basically her thing, so there’s nobody better to have on your side.”

“And you think she’ll believe that Barry’s innocent?” she asked hopefully.

“Well, she’ll keep an open mind, at least, and that’s the best you can ask for. She’s tenacious when she’s going after a story, she’s not the type to be intimidated by opposition, and she’s never been known to prioritize the sensationalized over what’s right. If there’s anyone who will fight for truth and justice – and who will manage to get the people to listen to her while she does so? It’s her.” 

She was feeling hopeful about her friend’s suggestion until Linda added, “But there is one thing you have to bear in mind. You’re bringing an outsider into this situation, and she’s going to be digging into things. Whatever she finds…it’s going to be up to her whether to print it. Whatever she finds. Understand? Are you sure you want to take that risk?”

Iris closed her eyes and sucked in a deep breath. She knew what Linda was trying not to expressly say. If the reporter discovered that Barry had superpowers – that he was the Flash – she might report on that, too. Was that a risk she was willing to take?

She didn’t think she really had a choice. And, at any rate, it was a risk they had all tacitly agreed to take on from the day Barry first slipped into red leather and raced around the city to help people in whatever way he could. Plus, the kind of person Linda described would perhaps see the wisdom in keeping Barry’s secret, assuming she discovered it. “I understand,” she replied slowly. “I’m not sure we have a choice. If you were in my shoes, would you risk it?”

Linda made a soft, thoughtful sound. “If I were in your shoes, the first person I’d want in my corner would be you. The second person would be her. I’d take the chance.”

This was exactly the kind of tough call Iris was called upon to make, so she took one more moment to contemplate her options – and their potential consequences – and then said firmly, “Then we should go for it.”

“I’ll make the call. I can’t guarantee she’ll want to take the story, but I think she will. In the meantime…there are people out there who have your back. Don’t forget that.”

She blinked back tears with a smile and murmured, “I won’t. Thank you, Linda. I don’t know what I’d do without you. You really should put ‘Amazing at Everything’ on your business cards.”

Linda laughed. “Don’t think I won’t!”


End file.
